12 May 2020 | TNN
A Gurgaon Park That Inspires Smart, Aesthetic Waste Management
The coronavirus crisis has accentuated the garbage recycling problem in India, which generates 62 million tonnes of solid municipal waste every year. Some organisations, such as the NGO 'I Am Gurgaon', are tackling this problem head-on by taking initiatives that create awareness by exemplifying aesthetic upcycling and offering citizens resources for waste segregation at its Gurgaon-based Samadhan Hub Park.
From sculptures made out of waste materials to a recycling station, the NGO's Samadhan Hub Park has it all. NDTV spoke with 'I am Gurgaon' members for more on the initiative as part of NDTV-Dettol Banega Swasth India campaign.
"This place is all about actionable solutions. We have given people the choice to reduce their waste in the way that they find suitable. We have set up a recycling station where they can give five types of waste for recycling - paper, metal, glass, e-waste and plastics. We also have a reuse section and a section where we provide do-it-yourself kits for horticultural waste (mulching)," said 'I Am Gurgaon' Founder Smita Ahuja Swanzal Kak Kapoor, who designed the park, said, "We have information walls that are made of bamboo and mud. We have walls that were made using upcycled steel tree guards filled with discarded AC insulation material, waste bricks and cement; these walls are meant to create awareness about the problem of waste management. The park has benches made out of recycled glass bottles. In most places, the way recycled waste is put to use ends up making it look ugly, but we have shown how it can be done aesthetically and sustainably, both."
The Samadhaan Hub has been developed in collaboration with the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram and sponsored by Keysight Technologies.
